STAR Essendon midfielder Dylan Shiel has joined Luke Beveridge and Luke Hodge in a growing chorus of support towards scrapping the new runner rules.
Shiel said there were teething problems in the rules, used for the first time during the JLT Series in which runners are only allowed on the field following goals.
It comes after Hodge called for the League to revert to the old process ahead of the season proper.
"I've noticed in the last two JLT games it's making it challenging," Shiel told Macquarie Sports Radio on Monday.
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"Personally, I'd like them to scrap the rule, it makes it quite challenging to get messages out to players for rotations and organisation around the ground.
"Sometimes we need a little bit of help, it's a high-pressure environment and we're professionals in our sport, but even we get it wrong."
Following Hodge's comments on Friday, the AFL reiterated there was no intention of changing rules before the season starts.
However, Beveridge threw down the gauntlet to the League to listen to the players when speaking after the Dogs' loss to St Kilda on Sunday.
The Dogs' coaching staff were forced to use large cards featuring dice rolls of 1-6 to communicate to players, with Beveridge insisting he felt "helpless."
Despite no formal insight on any potential backflip, Beveridge said it was only a matter of time a change would be made.
"I'm looking forward to having access to the runner again during quarters so hopefully that'll happen over the next couple of weeks," Beveridge said.
"All the players are making noise now and the theory was they were giving it back to the players and their instinct.
"Players are (now) saying we need direction, we need to hear from the bench.
"I think they'll listen to the players and unfortunately it's taken that to bring it back.
"In the last quarter there were three or four things I wanted to do but I couldn't use the runner. All we've got is an image to say what mode you're in and I can't get to the players. In those tight games when you feel helpless and you can't organise things with your players.
"I'm sure that over the next couple of weeks, going into round one, we'll probably be able to use our runners a bit during quarters."
When asked of Beveridge's comments post-game, Saints coach Alan Richardson backed his opinion.
"I don't know why we got rid of the runners, personally," Richardson said.
"We do, as coaches, get the opportunity to voice our opinion in the right forum with the AFL, (Steve) Hocking and those guys. I just don't get it. I reckon that'd be a good thing (to bring them back).
"We used signs late in the game, so we've got the signs all ready to go in terms of what we want to do strategically.
"That takes a long time for the players to get used to that, to look over at the bench."
As revealed by AFL.com.au, clubs have started returning AFL-issued LED communication boards back to the League which are estimated to have cost the competition more than $50,000.
Feedback provided by clubs suggested that the boards, used by a number of clubs during week one of the JLT Community Series were "impractical."
